[ - Author's Note - ]

Okay, off to Yerical and the meeting of Edda's secret friend. The testing of the bows, more talking with Lulu and little hiccup on the way up the mountain. Nothing too much more I can without risking a spoiler. But hey; it's not a longer then usual chapter this time. Although FFDotNet isn't showing the view/visitor stats right now. Ughhh...

So let's not waste time, let's get it on!

[ - Act II - Chapter XXXIII: Bound by Blood - ]

Yerical was one of the states of Eostia that struggled with Arblade the most. In the various skirmishes and clashes Yerical lost territory, gained it back, lost it once more then retook it and more before the Pox swept in and the beginning of the end of the Arblade Empire began. Then rulers, House Lerna decided that they could take their time in rebuilding their northern fortifications and as Arblade's fell fully to the pox they opted to redirect their coin elsewhere. Even the warnings posed by now High Queen Celestine Lucross were mostly dismissed by House Lerna; although local garrison commanders heeded her warnings and tried to repair damaged forts with what they could use, even if it was just lumber.

Then Garan arrived and things went sour; more so as then Count Richard Lerna kept lying about the current status of combat in the region making others think he was pushing the enemy back into their borders... at least until Garan pressed into Steel Lock and commenced the rape, pillage and razing of the City of Deadwood. Once the true situation was discovered Celestine deposed House Lerna almost instantly and had Richard and his key advisors imprisoned on charges of sedition and treachery against the crown. Rule of Yerical was temporarily shifted to House Barse and Henry Barse who was a competent but unremarkable ruler but once the first incursion was forced back it was rewarded to Knight Commander Saxen Xelbar.

Saxen Xelbar initially wanted to end slavery in his new realm but the damage done to Yerical reduced it to a barony (Although Celestine gave an exception to them to maintain county level armed forces, given what had happened) and couldn't afford the backlash from the slave states; doubly so as it bore Maros to it's west and Hol'canna to it's east; both notable slave states. As such slavery would remain for another twenty years before being reduced to a limited state; much of the slaves were put to work repairing the infrastructure and when finally released all survivors were awarded four gold and their freedom by now Baron Egon Xelbar.

Much of the garrisons are kept in the north not just to protect the border but to guard the mythril mines in their north and east. Today Yerical is on course to return to the state of a county and focuses it's military on a highly effective defense; heavy spearmen, archers and a heavier then normal use of firearms bought from Steel Lock with maintained and up-kept forts as an anchor.

~Dominic James Pencraft, The Eostia Historia

[-]

On route I had played chess with Lulu along the way; she wasn't a good player but she loved the animated chess board I had made and she did improve as we went along. As we reached northern Steel Lock things got a bit rougher on the road; it started with less then gentle hills then hills atop of hills. Mountains came closer in the distance with one rising higher then the rest; Mount Korodon. I had no idea what awaited me up there and could only guess. Before that we had to ride around rocky hills, cliffs overlooking small valleys and well cared for but still rough roads before we reached our first destination; Mount Craig City. It was... different in how it was made; namely it was made atop of a mountain. No, that is not a joke.

Mount Craig was a short, two hundred odd foot tall mountain with a large, grassy plateau complete with a handful of small farming villages on it's outer edges. The city bore no walls on account of reaching it was almost impossible; it only bore a wooden fence to help ensure no one went off the edge and a few guard towers with anti-air based ballistae. The only route to the top was a road that ran along one side of the mountain and the access had a dozen keeps built over it; built in such a way that platforms stretched out over the road from where archers could fire with impunity as well as having things like rocks, boiling oil or grenades thrown down to any attackers. The city gates was the only place with a proper section of wall with four keeps right there, three gates to break through with thirty foot pits between them requiring drawbridges to cross. If you wanted to fill in those pits you'd have to drag material all the way up there.

In short Mount Craig City was arguably the most difficult city to assault in Eostia if not the world. No one had managed it; even Garan was forced to lay siege at the bottom of the road and bypass it because when they tried they lost a tenth of their force before reaching the gates. And this is with House Lerna's mishandling of the first incursion which was legendary and I could compare their efforts to the Soviet assault of Finland in the Winter War which they """"""won""""""...

If by winning you mean they gained more land then they had before and by absolutely no other metric. The Fins pulled a bluff on them because they were running out of supplies but even then they killed about three times the amount they lost as I recall. The famous saying of the time from a Soviet General was 'we have won enough land to bury our dead'. I would call it the very definition of a Pyrrhic Victory and afterwards they treated Finland like one might treat a porcupine; don't try and touch it and maintain a respectful distance.

The long, long, long ride up to Mount Craig City was... well, long. Some sections were rebuilt to have a gentler slope to help carriages and other travelers up into the city. As usual the local lord's banner was over it; this one was quite simple. It was circular with a gray ring with an 'X' crossing through it, outlined with thick black. The four sections it made had a sword each with brass pommels and guards and black handles; all pointed inwards with the left and right background segments being red and the other two being green. Simple but easy to make out.

It was midday but we were not leaving until the morning; getting up here took just the whole morning and the horses would need their rest after this ride. They earned it to say the least...

Once inside it was the usual tale I've told before... except for the 'go to the Adventurer's Guild' step was replaced with 'go to the local Anima Lux Cathedral' as the Guild didn't have a branch here; going such a large distance up and down a mountain to go and do jobs was inefficient; most branches were in the towns surrounding the foot of Mount Craig. (I would learn I was wrong later; they had a branch but it was little more then a side room of the local pub and only took jobs that involved Mount Craig City and the other, small towns atop Mount Craig) We met the local Azure, shared greetings, went to the roof, slapped the booster in place and said goodbye.

[(⸜∕ ) Place Booster in Yerical]

So after that we rode off to Yerical Manor in the noble's district. Interestingly as we rode through you could see a good, sizable dwarven and halfling minorities. It made sense; Ansur as a whole had larger amounts of both and Yerical as a territory was big on mining and so were the dwarves with halflings following hot on their heels. The manor was quite large; four stories with rounded corners with a number of windows on them. The walls were green and the roof red with gold colored trim. Two large and circular gardens were on either side of the path leading to the door and a set of brass statues of knights who stood at attention, each holding a spear in their right hand. Around the grounds was a six foot tall wall of brass bars with rounded tops.

We would park and disembark before the manor and as we walked over to the door the guard by it let us in to the entrance. There was a lot of gold trim in the room with green walls and a red ceiling with a white, marble floor. The balcony for the second story had two stairs moving to them from the first floor at the sides and back of the room. On the wall, between the two stairs and two doors to another room was a series of weapons; swords of all types, various spears, maces and so on but other odd ones; a pair of hook swords, a short handled scythe attached to a chain with a weight on the other end, a rather primitive flintlock, an even more primitive crossbow, an odd, multi-bladed... thing I think was African in my old world... It was a small collection of unique, exotic and odd weapons.

"Ah. Finally, you've arrived Lord Noxdecus." I heard as someone walked out from the backroom on our left hand side. He was a taller man, some five foot eleven. He bore shoulder length brown hair that was tied into a tight braid. His beard was trimmed a moderate length and pulled forwards in a soft point. He wore a deep red cloak with green panels over the shoulders, hips and forearms. A brown belt was about the hips and held a short sword at his left hip and a spell book at his right. Deep green boots and gloves were on his hands and feet. "I had wondered how long it would take for you to arrive in my fair, if high up, realm. I am Grey Xelbar; Baron of Yerical. Welcome to my home." He said, lifting and parting his arms with a wide smile.

(-)

Name: Grey Xelbar
Title: Ruler of the Craig Barony
Class: Sorcerer
Level: 32
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 33
Status: Healthy, Calm, Relaxed

Known Traits
[?]

[Blast & Blade] 5% of your Str is added to magical damage. Add 5% of your Mag to physical damage
[Muscle Wizard] When training your magic you also train your body. For every 5 points of Mag add 1 to your Str (Rounded Up)

Fifth child of Joshua Xelbat he showed a talent for magic at a young age. Schooled in various spell and blade crafts he opted to travel Eostia and nearby countries to study various cultures and speak with their peoples. This would end when a Garan incursion left his father crippled, two of his brothers dead and his sister left barren due to injury he found himself pressed into becoming their heir as his final brother opted to abdicate the position.

(-)

"Pleasure is mine, Lord Xelbar." I replied as he smiled and clapped his hands once.

"Now then, let us dispense of titles." He said with a smile. "I am hoping you wouldn't mind telling me more about the voxlux and perhaps more about your enchanting."

[-]

Grey turned out to be a rather pleasant host, all in all. His wife would stop in and join us for team as would his son. It was a good, long chat I'd say. Once I had a chance to get back to quarters it was back to work; starting with the holy/fire spell. I had managed to push through my last roadblock and after an hour I had something... testable. Maybe not to a fully usable state but enough to test and adjust.

Rather then rush out and test it I broke the bows out. I had been doing work here and there as we rode and they needed some finishing touches. I tested them out; the arrows drew out as I had planned as did the sword. The elemental enhancements worked as I had wanted as well so that left one last test. Which meant one thing...

Test subjects!

It took some searching but I found Miria and Cress; to my luck they were at the archery range already. It was a simple set up in the backyard. A nice, walled off range with targets and a quartet of targets to fire at. I could hear idle chatter from them but couldn't quite make it out as I gave a quick, sharp whistle. As they turned to me I gave them a wave with one hand; the bow bows in the other resting on my shoulder. Both of them blinked at me before seeing what I had.

"You bought us new bows?" Miria let off in a happy tone as I chuckled.

"I did a little more then that." I said as I turned the bows to face them; both spell stones on display to them as I gave Miria the one with the blue stone and Cress the one with the red; matching the colors of Houses Noxdecus and Bijoux respectively. Both turned them over and gave them test pulls and were grinning; clearly they were eager to test them out. "I did a little enchanting on them." I said before starting to explain what I put into them. Once I told them about the Arcane Weapon that would give them a backup weapon and arcane arrows they were quick to test them out once they learned that. Cress picked up on it fairly quickly; his abilities required mana manipulation after all. Miria needed a moment longer but she got the hang of it as well; she was the daughter of a mage after all.

Silver, mana formed arrows quickly sailed down the range. "Well?" I prompted as both notched then fired them down range.

"The arrows have the right weight and shape but feel a little stiff." Miria said as she pulled her next arrow back. "Still..." She fired the arrow as it sailed down range and impacted the bullseye. "It's not hurting my aim."

"I have to concur." Cress let off as he hit his own bullseye. "The arrows feel odd but you can adjust to it and they don't throw off my aim at all." I think it'd take a bit to hurt their aim. With the both of therm was faring well with the weapons I felt it was time to up the ante and explain the elemental enhancements. Miria almost took glee in sending lightning coated arrows down; no doubt recalling the Semen Slime.

Oh god I can smell it again...

Cress, after getting over Miria's odd glee, tested his own bow's elements out; one by one. The only two he withheld was the Blazing and Shadowblaze ones; mostly to avoid lighting the place on fire. I asked if I'd need to make adjustments but both told me no so I left it at that. Once I was sure they had the hang of it I left and asked to see what sort of magical facilities they had.

I had a spell to test.

[-]

Come the next morning just after sunrise we left Mount Craig City (The horses had a much easier time going downhill) and we rode east by northeast along a well paved road to a small city then along less well paved roads as Mount Korodon loomed closer and closer. Soon it was less 'roads' and more worn paths that we had to slow down for. We would ascend upwards along a smaller pair of joined mountains as we approached closer and closer. Finally we approached and slowly crossed an old, stone bridge. It was worn and coated in a layer of moss but you could feel enchantments on it; whoever built it built it to last. Which made me wonder; who built such a sturdy bridge all the way out here? It could have been Imperium era; I wasn't sure.

Once across we were on Mount Korodon but not even a third of the way up. Finally we parked on a moderate sized plateau. Edda directed a camp to be set up before turning to me. "We will carry on. He lives further up the mountain but there's no trails that horses can travel on; even if they didn't carry carriages with them. We'll need to leave most of the people here and climb up with fewer. Myself, Lulu and Finlay would be idea for this; halflings are adept climbers thanks to our strength compared to our lighter weight."

"Riri and Aeris would also be ideal then." I said as she gave a curt nod. It made sense; Riri was another halfling and she was very agile and not weighed down by heavy armor while Aeris was able to fly on her staff. I could also fly but nowhere as efficiently as she could yet.

Yet. I've been grinding Levitation more and more recently since the last upgrade. That said given how much grinding I still had to do to get it to level four alone it was still going to be awhile.

"Between magic and might we should make good time." She said as she tapped her staff to the ground twice. "There's a plateau about a half of the way up and our destination isn't much further."

"This friend of yours must like his quiet if he's come this far out of the way." I mentioned as she giggled softly.

"Hmmm, something of the like." She said as she looked to a path; it was thin and you'd only be able to go on foot. "Right. Let's assemble our expedition team and get going. Once we reach that plateau we can set up camp."

It didn't take long to get things set up to go. Cress would be in charge of the camp in the absence of myself and Lulu. Miria asked why he was in charge and I pointed out if he wasn't she was.

She opted to follow Cress.

Myself and the halflings moved along the path and... it was tougher then I thought. The initial path was thin but not too bad. Then it got rockier and rockier and then we finally reached a part where we had to scale a part of the side of the mountain. The halflings climbed up fairly well. Aeris just flew upwards. I... also opted to fly upwards for much of the segments of the climb. I didn't have the ability to remain airborne as much as Aeris could but I could bypass the rougher sections. Edda also used a lot of Levitation to get through while Finlay used her gauntleted hands to climb up as she followed Lulu. As for Lulu...

She would slam her axe into the side of the cliff, tug hard to to ensure it was hooked in before climbing up, finding a new handhold and repeating as needed. It was entertaining to watch.

We would reach another trail craved into the side of the cliff and moved back to walking for a bit, turning about to the side of the mountain that faced Garan. I took a look out for a moment and thought I saw something in the distance before using Telescopic Vision to get a better look before clicking my tongue. "I see gargoyles." I let off as Edda moved next to me and looking out where I was as she seemed to use the same spell.

"That's not surprising. Garan would patrol the region with fliers." She said with a huff. I could see a flight of four of them and two were looking our way. I don't know if they could see us at that distance but it was safer to assume they could then think they couldn't. "I imagine they'll report it but unless they have someone close by willing to climb all the way up here they won't do anything about it."

"Right; I'll get ready to fight them." I quipped as Edda blinked at me.

"With our luck being what it is be ready for someone riding a troll up here." Riri quipped as she took point for us on the path as I moved to follow. Edda huffed but said nothing else as she followed.

We'd climb up another cliff although one at a more comfortable angle before reaching a new path. It was rough but just as the sun was starting to set we reached the plateau. Our carried supplies and equipment was limited due to the circumstances; two tents, food for five days (Just in case), and so on. We found the location of an old camp site; seat sized stones pulled to a semi circle around a small pit. A few wind spells from Aeris sent dust and small debris off and to the side to make an area to set up the tents.

Riri would see to the food, Lulu, Finlay and myself to the tents as Aeris and Edda would keep an eye out for anything that might look like trouble. Edda still thought nothing would attack us but so far between bandits, Garan, mercenaries, an attempted poisoning and having to separate Dominious sailors and lady pirates I was in no mood to take chances. Once the tents were up I moved to sit down on one of the stones. Riri had gathered bits of wood and plants; mostly fallen branches from a pair of small trees that, somehow, was growing up here. Edda would later tell me it was a custom of the dragonborne who came here to plant a tree seed of some sort in the hopes of growing more wood for those to come just before planting a seed she brought with her.

I broke out my new book on spell orb glass to read; part to ensure I was ready to use the knowledge when it came time and it was something to do as I waited for the cooking to be done. It wasn't long before Lulu sat down next to me and looked to my book, read the cover and hummed. "You have something planned for spell orbs?"

"Something yeah..." I said, moving bookmark to place but didn't close the book yet. "I don't want to say anything until I'm sure it'll work out. That'll be more on the glass end of things then the enchanting end of things, though." I said as she nodded.

"Mmm, yeah. A lot of things need to be taken into account. Like how many wrenches you can carry along with you so you can repair it outside of a shop." She said as she crossed her arms and pouted softly. Wait... there's an idea.

"What if you built a wrench that could adjust it's size?" I asked as she blinked at me. "Like maybe with some screw mechanism that would open or close it." She blinked at me again for a long, long moment before finally speaking up.

"Why didn't I think of that!?" She let off, clasping at her head with both hands (And flashing me both of her tiny tits) as she leaned back slightly. Then I another thought hit me.

"You could also just standardize bolts and what not so you only need one or two wrenches to start with." I pointed out. She pouted and crossed her arms but tapped a foot as she thought about it.

"... That also makes sense; yes." She said with a nod. "... Why didn't I think of that?"

"Maybe because you're more concerned with building it when you have everything in a workshop and not repairing when you're in the field so you're not considering the other side of it." I pointed out as she sighed. The equipment she was talking about was limited; mostly a limited amount of spell stone powered vehicles that acted as mobile cannon platforms or ammo carriers. At least one more acted as a mobile command center and a couple others were built to tow wagons to bring troops and supplies forwards. The expenses to build them due to the size and quality of stones needed kept them as limited but useful oddities.

(For the record the idea of a armored, cannon wielding tank had been tossed about now and then but it was never considered overly practical. This is mostly because a big, heavily armored thing on the battlefield screamed 'Fireball Me' and without some good magical shielding it'd be blown up in an instant. There were ways to do that, of course, but it was more cost efferent to just make mobile artillery with one, large spell orb creating a barrier against incoming ranged and magical attacks that can cover more then one vehicle.)

"You do like building things, huh?" I let off as she chuckled.

"And you have some good ideas; clearly." She said, elbowing me lightly. "An adjustable wrench... Hmm... What else do you have in that mind of yours?"

"One or two things..." I replied with a shrug.

"Such as?"

"Wellllll..." After a moment I decided to describe an idea for a two wheeled, pedal powered transport... that most people would call a bicycle. She took out a pad of paper and pencils (Both stashed in her hat of all things... I mean where else was she going to hide it in that outfit?) and wrote it down; complete with a small sketch. Of course figuring out how how to make the wheels without a good way to inflate them was another thing...

[-]

I took the shift for the first watch of the night. I'd be followed by Lulu then Finlay then Edda then Riri then Aeris. I opted to keep a watch out as camp was broken down and packed up. "Nothing is going to happen." Edda let off as she moved up to me. I had been looking out to the edge of the cliff but keeping a respectful distance from it.

"I have a healthy dose of paranoia with these things." I replied, looking down at her. "Honestly; I've had enough crap happen on this trip so far that being attacked even up here wouldn't be that much of a surprise." Edda huffed at my explanation as she walked towards the edge of the cliff, pointing to it.

"Look; nothing is going to come up here to attack us; there's no reason to be so-"

And she was cut off as a very large hand gripped the edge of the cliff making her jump, yelp and step back as it's twin came up next.

Then another set of hands.

And another. By this point Edda was backing up rather quickly until she was next to me. "What in the seven hells!?" She let off as the rest of the group grabbed their weapons and moved to join me.

"Yeah... I called it." I let off with a sigh as I drew my rapier. Sure enough, three trolls clambered up onto the cliff; the ones on the sides bearing two ogres a piece on their back and the middle bore a dark elf woman as a quartet of gargoyles flew up into view behind them.

"Well, welllll... A human, a elven cousin and four little halflings..." The dark elf let off as she hopped off the troll to the ground, as did the ogres. She was six foot even in height and bore dusky skin and bright red eyes. Black, straight hair fell to her mid back with a large lock between both eyes. A series of silver chains with small links were around her neck. A black cloth was around her collarbone and moved behind her with a chain outline. The center had two more clothes going down over her D-Cup breasts with a chain outline once more and attaching to another that ran around her body with a thin plate under and between her breasts. Pointed, layered, black pauldrons were over the shoulders and each bicep that matched her bracers that matched the pauldrons in color and tone. Chains around her waist were over a knee length, black loincloth with two loops over each side of the hip. Armored boots that rose up to her knees ended the look. "In the name of the Trueborne Queen and my own Highborne House I, Rubin Drakepyre, claims whatever is upon this mountain you seek; along with your lives!" She let off, pointing to us with a wide, wicked grin.

(-)

Name: Rubin Drakepyre
Title: War Mage of the Scalefire
Class: Templar
Level: 29
Alignment: Hostile
Reputation: 19
Status: Healthy, Excited, Battle Ready

Romance Rating: 76
Corruption Rating: 47

Known Traits
[?]
[Turned to Shadow] All Holy spells you know are converted to Shadow spells; with name changes and effect changes as needed.

[?]
[Arcane Weapon Mastery] You can cast Arcane Weapon with a reduced mana cost and enhanced damage. -50% Mana Cost to use Arcane Weapon. Any weapon made with Arcane Weapon has +3 Damage

The third in line for the High House of Drakepyre she prefers the feel of a weapon in her hand then magic. Once she discovered the ability to form weapons with magic she aimed to become a master of all weapons; relying on the Arcane Weapon spell as opposed to a physical one.

(-)

"You came all the way up here just to pick a fight?" Aeris let off, standing on her staff as she hovered over towards us as the trolls stood tall. At over twelve feet tall each I had to admit I found them a tad intimidating.

"What else could bring me here?" Rubin said as she grinned; holding her arms wide. "What greater glory could call me here!? To slay the lowly creatures that skitter and scurry over this land... No more righteous a cause I need!" She let off... As the boss music started to spin up she formed a large claymore of silver mana as my view shifted to her as she swung her blade three times before spinning it above her head and shouldering the weapon. "Prepare! Your death is here!"

_War Mage of the Scalefire_
Rubin Drakepyre

My view returned to normal as I clicked my tongue. "Aeris, Edda!" I let off, gathering mana to my blade's spell stone as I inverted my grip on it as I casted Vortex Tunnel while they casted their own wind spells; aiming to blast them all off the mountain all at once...

Only for the trolls to reach out and forwards, planted their hands into the ground and digging their claws in before the spells impacted with Rubin and the ogres ducking under them. Two of the gargoyles flew over the wind attacks but the other two were caught up and pushed back and likely would recover. That... was disappointing. And sadly not fully unexpected. Once the spells ended Rubin charged right at Aeris who flew up higher and send a Scatter Bolt out at her. Rubin herself swung her mana made weapon in a circle to shield herself before flying up after the High Elf. The ogres decided to charge at Riri and Edda, and the trolls split up to attack Lulu, Finlay... and of course, me.

Oh and the biggest one charged at me. Because of course it did. Fucking hell. Okay, what am I dealing with here?

(-)

Name: Troll Demolisher
Title: Heavy Hitter of Garan
Class: Warrior
Level: 30
Alignment: Hostile
Reputation: 12
Status: Healthy, Confident, Enraged

Known Traits
[Troll Regeneration] As a troll you recover health at an astounding rate and can even regrow limbs. +4 to Con & End. Heal 5% of total every minute.

[Roaring Warrior] You are a warrior at heart and will charge into battle with glee. +4 to Con, Str & End. In addition gain +1 to Dex, Agi, Acc & Lck
[?]

While not considered smart or clever trolls are incredibly powerful warriors by nature; massive and bearing matching strength they are some of the most powerful Aberrant alive. In addition to their amazing power they have a naturally high level of regeneration making killing them difficult.

(-)

Five level highers... Why me?

Honestly it would be best to end this quick so it was time to be a little tricky here. As the troll roared and charged I used my mana to cast Earth Wall. The effect was interesting; rocks, pebbles and dirt rose up in a half dome before me that that was eight feet tall and wide before becoming coated in a dark orange, almost brown, mana that itself looked rocky and uneven. It was interesting to say the least. The troll brought it's arms up and brought them down on my wall and...

Cracked it instantly.

I wasn't surprised; I was still ill-practiced with the spell and it was a fucking troll that was five levels higher. That being said I had expected and planned for this as I drew in mana for my next attack as the second slam onto my shield cracked it further. It brought it's arms up once more... just as my eyes glowed a nice, bright green.

He shattered the wall on the next hit as I rolled forwards to be closer to it before I unleashed a wind based Dragon's Breath from underneath the troll and upwards into it. The effect was pretty much what I had hoped; I hit it full on in the chest and the wind element left several cuts into it... and lifted it upwards almost thirty feet into the air and threw it back managing to just clear the cliff and sending it down the mountainside.

"Raaaarw roor raaar raaaaaaa!"

Huh... I guess that's a troll's scream when it's in free fall. I turned to quickly check on the battlefield. Riri and Edda were handling the ogres; my maid was hopping about and slashing to keep them off balance as Edda blasted them with spells; one was already down. Finlay and Lulu were with the trolls and holding their own. As for Aeris she was struggling a bit more; using a shield to keep Rubin at bay as the dark elf slashed at her; both flying in circles in the air as they maneuvered and positioned for an advantage. I narrowed my eyes a bit as I noticed that the gargoyles had all recovered and returned and were flying about under them. It occurred to me they were body-guarding their mistress; likely keeping Aeris from rejoining us and us from helping her. As Aeris was in the most need I decided to go and assist her; starting with a quartet of fliers with levels from eighteen to twenty two.

I casted Frozen Weapon on my blade which coated it in a layer of ice and frosty mist and flew upwards at the flying Aberrant. Their skin was tougher then normal so I'd have to bear that in mind; spells would have the best effect but an elemental boosted weapon should work as well. Not that that was my Plan A.

No; I had a much better Plan A.

Once in the air they took notice I was approaching and two of them broke off to attack me. I readied mana in my left hand before they came too close and when one moved to slash at me with it's buddy behind him and likely looking to respond to how I responded to the oncoming attack. I dodged to the side to avoid the first and aimed to the second as he adjusted to attack me head on... and took a face full of Arctic Orb that covered it in a layer of ice and frost... including it's wings.

I turned to the first one as the second fell down; impacting the side of the mountain with it's side and clearly injuring it's wing. It bounced off and fell away from the mountainside as gravity reminded the flying Aberrant just what kind of a bitch it was. The first one roared in anger and did a midair U-turn to charge me fast enough that I couldn't cast but I was able to drop down and slash at it with the beast blocking with it's arm; it's stony skin was mostly unharmed but a hint of frost was left in it's wake as I spun and threw a second Arctic Orb to it's back.

Unlike his buddy as he fell downwards he hit the mountainside headfirst before gravity laughed and pulled him down towards the ground; with every rock and stone on the way down ready to greet him. I did say gravity was a bitch, right?

A roar told me his buddies were upset with me and as I turned I could see them charging me. I wonder why that could be...? Note the sarcasm.

I flew back and up enough that they adjusted to a level flight at me; side by side with enough space to not get in the other's way in case they had to dodge quickly. I readied a Dual Cast as I got ready and once they started to slash I fired another Vortex Tunnel... downwards. The effect sent me upwards and they were caught into the vortex as they flew into it but, to their credit, they managed to somehow stay stable as they grabbed each other by the other's wrists and used their spread wings to manipulate the wind with their own mana.

Then I added Frost Thrower into my Vortex Tunnel and added ice to the spell; coating them in a layer of thick frost. They started to drop as they tried to de-ice themselves but I followed up with a third Arctic Orb that impacted both of them at once. Gravity was once more happy to be a bitch and helped them join their buddies by pulling them down to bounce off the side of the cliffs. Such a bitch, that gravity. I turned to the Rubin and Aeris battle only to see Aeris use a shield to block a rather powerful looking fire spell that pushed her back before the dark elf turned and dove down at me.

"Ha! Not bad for a lowly human insect!" She let off as I fired another Arctic Orb at her which she batted aside before closing in and swinging hard. I blocked with the Unicorn's Horn and let her shove me aside as I clicked my tongue and flew back as she turned to hover on my level as we sized one another up. She moved first but I reacted by throwing a Hammer of Smite at her only to block it with her weapon before shoving it aside before reaching melee range...

[-]

"Dummy!" Lulu let off as she swung her axe to block the troll's attack; it was a big one and at fourteen feet tall was nearly three times her height and maybe twenty to thirty times her weight. This troll bore a club formed from a trunk of a tree that was eight feet long itself. Despite the size difference she was still able to deflect the attack with a heavy chip taken out of the club. The huge Aberrant was clearly frustrated to be vexxed by something so small. The several other chips in the trunk told the tale of how this had happened quite a bit before she dashed in. "If you think you can beat me you're a real dummy!"

The troll moved to kick her only to have her dodge as he followed with a stomp... Only to catch the shaft of her axe under his heel. Grinning he pushed all of his body weight onto the foot... Only for the grin to fail when the halfling did not go squish under his tread. He growled loudly in annoyance only for her to tilt her weapon and deflect the foot to the side. As the stomp hit the ground she swung hard for it's calf, slashing it at the back before rolling to the other and cleaving hard into it. The troll let off a roar and lost balance and started to fall backwards.

It never impacted the ground; Lulu would move and lift her axe to catch it's spine with the top spike as it howled out before it dipped down slightly. It occurred to the beast that Lulu and squatted down under it. Then she lifted and managed to throw it up into the air with it's body twisting so it's head was turning down before she swung her axe vertically into it with a Combat Art.

From head to groin the troll was cut in half with each side slamming to the ground with a full foot between them. "And now you're half the dummy you used to be, Dummy!"

"You're enjoying this too much!" She heard, shouldering her weapon as Finlay was hopping around heavy swings of the other troll's fists before using her own axe to hack one arm apart at the elbow. The troll roared and swung with it's other arm as she rolled under the attack... before a figure leapt over it's head and came down with twin blades coated in purple flames, slashing in both in twin arcs at it's neck and through it's spine; sending it to the ground. It roared out before the blades were spun to an inverted grip before being slammed down into it's skull. "Ahh... Thank you Riri." The Commander of the Golden Axes let off as the maid spun her weapons and sheathed them.

"Welcome. That's most of the job done... except..." She let off as she bit her lip, looking upwards. All of the enemies were dead...

All but one.

[-]

I had swapped from Frozen Weapon to Shadowblaze Weapon as I continued a mid-air duel with Rubin which, I hate to admit, I was ill practiced at. Still she seemed to be no better in such mid-air duels as I played keep away and jabbed at her when as I could as she came close enough and she took big swings and blocked as needed. She also had a big grin on her face as she flew around me while I focused and thrust my blade, scoring a glancing shot on her arm that was deflected by a barrier over the skin; Mana Armor I'd say.

I blocked another strike with the flat of my blade held to the palm of my hand as I used the grip on the handle to push it to the side as I let the force move myself lower before firing a Flamethrower from my mouth (Not a Dragon's Breath; just a Flamethrower) as she dodged and flew back before flying back further as a blast of wind from Aeris slammed past where she was. She looked to Aeris, me then the plateau. She huffed and clicked her tongue before aiming her blade to me. "You. Human. I would have your name." She let off as she glared to me, even as she kept up her grin. I glared back for a long moment as I thought of not giving her one but decided to be at least that polite.

"I am James Noxdecus; Heir to the Barony of Mungale." I replied simple as she grinned wide once more.

"Ahhhhh, a so called human 'noble', are you?" She let off with a soft chuckle... before swinging her weapon hand to the side as she dispelled the mana in her hand. "I offer you congratulations and respect... I am now at such a disadvantage that it is clear I am defeated today. But I will remember this... And while I must retreat know I plan to return and face you in the future! Farewell Noxdecus! And prepare for our rematch!" She let off, still grinning like a loon before turning and flying down and away; a burst of wind magic coming from her hands to speed up her retreat. I considered giving chase but opted against it; I doubted I'd have the mana to get back with ease and who knows what I'd run into if I followed. Instead I sheathed my weapon and lowered down to join everyone else with Aeris following me.

[Defeated List]

3 Ogre Grunts x 250XP=750XP
4 Gargoyle Scouts x 265XP=1060XP
Ogre Sergeant=300XP
3 Troll Demolishers x 400XP=1200XP
Rubin Drakepye=1800XP
+20% Dark Horse of Eostia Bonus
Gain 6132XP in Total

Level Up!

You are now Level 26!

+1 to Dex, Acc, Mnc, Agi & Mag
+1 to End
+1 to Rap
+2 to RSP & SSP
+5 to UTP

Achievement Unlocked: Gravity is a Harsh Mistress
Kill at least five opponents in one fight by making them fall from a great height

Nice, another level... That'll put Endurance up at the level needed for the class upgrade.

Once on the ground I sighed for a moment... and saw a troll cut in half; head to groin. I bet that was Lulu's doing... and yikes!

"How often does this sort of thing happen to you?" Edda asked as she walked closer to me as she looked up.

"Too often." I replied with a sigh. "Let's get going. I think that's enough excitement for one day."

"Agreed..."

[-]

We would follow another trail up along the outside of the mountain before cutting through a small and short cave to another. It took some time but we arrived at another, smaller plateau with a large cave set to it. "We're here." Edda said finally. The cave was huge; you could park a Boeing Seven-Forty-Seven in here! Tall and wide... and I noticed that the walls of the cave were oddly smooth as if it was more made then formed. Edda took point as she led us in as she lifted her free hand up and snapped her fingers. Instantly a series of torches that were set into the walls lit up in a line along each wall, providing light to see by for a fair distance. "Oveorth! I'm here with another of the blood!"

There was nothing for a moment save out own footsteps. And then...

"Indeed!" A voice boomed from the shadows in the back of the cave. "I have smelt the new blood for a time now as you ascended the mountain towards me! Full pleased am I to have another of our legacy born!" What was... and then you heard it. Thud. Thud. Thud... Something was coming from the inside of the cave... something really big. I was dumbfounded as to what it could be until a moment before you could see it's shape in the darkness. I had initially dismissed the possibility but there was no other possibility I could think of and the shape and sheer size solidified it.

The size of it was like two buses stacked top of each other and two wide save the equally as long tail and twelve foot long neck with a head the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. A lizard like body with four legs that ended in large, sharp claws. A line of raised spikes went down the spine from the back of the neck down to the last quarter of the tail. Two horns were at the back of the head pointed straight back and pointing out slightly. Another, shorter one stuck out of the chin and helped to highlight two fangs that jutted out from the lower jaw that stuck up and into view high enough to just jut out over the upper mouth.

As it came into the light fully you could see azure scales covering it from snout to tail with a darker layer on it's underbelly and the inside of it's thighs; but with lines of darker, more jagged scales across it's frame like scars. Large, neon blue eyes looked over us and you could see that the eyes themselves were scaled with the pupils slit like a cat's. I got the impression it was smiling down to us as I just... stood there in shock, jaw dropped and eyes wide.

I mean what exactly is the proper response to seeing a giant fucking dragon for the first time!?

"Ahhh... I see it in your eyes and your mana..." The dragon let off as his head lifted up slightly, looking right at me. "You are born of my own line, no less. Tis rare I can enjoy the opportunity to meet my own descendants in such a manner. I am Oveorth! And it is such a pleasure to meet you!" The dragon let off, patting the ground with a front claw twice before striding forwards further.

"Oh my Goddess..." Lulu let off as she gawked. I imagined it was more impressive for the halflings given they were smaller then me and I was dwarfed here. "Dragons still live!?"

"Indeed... Although sadly few in number and scattered far enough that I only see my kin once every other century or so." Oveorth said as he kept up his approach before his whole body glowed. "One moment, please." He said before his form started to... shrink then shift to something that stood on two legs. Finally when the glow ended he was left as a tall, six foot three, human-like being although with azure skin and darker scales along the outside of his arms and legs with only a black loincloth over his groin; although the jagged scales turned into long, dark and nearly black lines that were clearly scars. His hair was also a darker blue that fell to his shoulders with two longer points sticking back and up and a short goatee with the same eyes looking us over. "And yes, I can take a more human form but I need not hide that much in this form, now do I? But I find it is more comfortable for the mortals of the realm to speak to something other then a massive dragon." He let off, his voice no longer booming.

Good lord; I was meeting living history here.

(-)

Name: Oveorth the Azure
Title: Dragon of the Great Clan
Class: Dragon/Templar
Level: 75
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 53
Status: Healthy, Calm, Joyful

Known Traits
[Dragon of the Great Clan] You were of the brood of the Great Clan of Dragons led by Bahamut. +5 to All Stats. +7 to All Damage

[?]

[?]
[Limited Shapeshifter] You can use your magic to alter your form to something more human. How human is up to you.

[Air Under the Wings] You can fly for days at a time without rest or food.
[Human Sexual] Sexual Partners Gains +5 to all Sexual Stats when that partner is human

One of the first dragons of the world and an advisor to Bahamut himself he survived the Wars of the Giants and in the aftermath moved to live on his own. He would come down from his sanctuary to seduce human women and impregnate them to create more dragonborne and do his best to be a part of their lives.

(-)

All things considered such a high level isn't surprising...

"Ahhh, yes that form is rather... impressive." I admitted as I calmed down from my previous awe and found my voice once more. "I am James Noxdecus; heir to the Barony of Mungale." I let off as I bowed slightly. When I rose he was right before me and clapping his hands to my shoulders with surprising yet restrained strength.

"Well met to you, my child, well met." He said with a wide grin and a smile. "Ahhh, I wonder how many generations removed you are from me... It's always curious for me."

"So..." Riri let off as she moved to my side, looking between us. "You're... related?"

"Yes; although given my age I could have sired his descendant so long ago a hundred 'greats' before 'grandfather' might not be enough." Oveorth let off with a chuckle. "Come, come. Let us get comfortable." He said as he moved to a side wall and pressed his hand to a spot... causing a segment of the wall lift up and back as he walked in. We needed no encouragement to follow him.

There was about thirty feet of tunnel lit with mana fueled torches before we stepped into... a man cave...

I mean what else could I call it?

A bar carved out of stone was in one corner with a series of various drinks while a wall was dominated by a massive book shelf loaded with books of various ages, a quartet of couches with their own coffee tables were set in a square; all facing each other. Paintings, some older then some nations hung on another wall. I would later learn one of the other doors led to a much larger library and another to a trio of guest bedrooms and one master bedroom. It was rather impressive, all in all. He guided us to the couches as we sat down and he moved to the bar, shouldering a barrel of wine with one arm and carrying a tray of glasses with the other and bringing them over; filling the glasses directly from the tap. Once filled he set the barrel aside and lifted a glass up. Getting the hint we all grabbed one. "So... tell me of yourself." He said as I sighed and began to speak a bit.

As I spoke one of the memories gained from my unique position in this world came up and my discovery of my own dragonborne lineage was... surprisingly bland. I read about the eyes in a rather rare book that wasn't very popular and looked in the mirror. That said another thought came up with that; my father also read that book rather well...

Knowing him he knew I was dragonborne... and he gave me the book to read directly. He knew. He had to. And he gave me that book to tell me without actually telling me. Sneaky old man... That thought led me to another one; why did the Church steal Iris Sofia's eyes? As I finished up my tale I brought it up and Oveorth almost snarled a bit.

"I am sure it's for their power; although I know well the mana of a dragon is not easily used by men." He said as he huffed. "Even dragonborne like yourself can only use it on a basic level; sadly."

"Maybe someone is transplanting them to other people?" Lulu suggested looking to him as he frowned.

"Such would be obvious." He told us. "The whites of the eyes would turn black when in someone without the blood and even then they still cannot use the mana within and any illusion placed directly on them will be disrupted. It would be useless..."

"Maybe not..." I mused as I tapped my chin. Oveorth looked to me and blinked as I spoke. "It's a different sort of mana but it's still mana. In theory you could insert a small spell stone into the eye before implanting it that would convert the mana to something usable; although the exact effect that would have I can't say. And you could still hide them with an illusion; but they'd need to be on something over the eyes like glasses." He let off a deep hum as he thought it over.

"Given your experience as an enchanter how would you use a dragonborne's eye then?" Edda asked as I sipped my drink before leaning back as I pondered the question for a little while. I swirled the glass as I thought it over a bit before speaking.

"I would mold a spell stone around it." I began as I looked to her. "Thick enough to not break easily and designed to convert the mana to something usable. I'm not sure how much power an eye could make but given what I can estimate in my own you're looking at a something three to five times more potent then a stone of the same size. An illusion spell tacked on could hide it just as well so you can't see a hint of the eye inside." I let off as Oveorth growled softly.

"To think such ill-borne fools would slaughter our legacy for such power." He let off as he slumped in his seat sighing deeply. "...My kin died for this; this ability to have what you mortals take for granted... children..."

"I... beg your pardon?" Riri let off before sipping her own drink, Oveorth nodding once to her.

"All those you call 'Giants' of that age, dragons included, are only male in gender." He said as I hummed. "How we came to be and why we were made a race of a single gender I do not know. As such we were unable to mate, unable to breed and unable to have children... that is until we learned to take more human forms. At first we bred with human women for fun and offered humans protection for that fun. I am aware your history says we saw something special in you and sought to nurture it but the truth is more base and less noble; it was pleasure and lust that brought us to your kind... at first. When the first of the women we bred with bore a child with our eyes we had something more important to protect you and yours for then mere lust. Children. Family. We were now... We had the ability to be fathers and while, yes, none of you were dragons you were our legacy, of dragons borne."

"I imagine our histories seem silly compared to your own." Aeris let off as she sipped her wine. "Mmm. Even an elf's long lifespan is a fraction of the limits an ageless dragon has..."

"As I recall even elves were still working on written language at the time; although most of them would likely deny it and say they were born with a pen in hand." Finlay let off with a giggle. She would look to Oveorth once more as she smiled. "Although it does make me wonder; other races then humans have dragonborne; such as halflings like Edda here. You laid with others then just humans?"

"Some dragons may have opted to lay with elves but with halflings we have not; at least as far as I know." He said as I hummed a moment.

"Well, when mating with humans races like halflings, catalans and dwarves the child comes out either human or the other race with no half bloods." I pointed out. "The Imperium employed catalans as scouts and other irregulars so some intermixing had to happen and I've never heard of a dwarven or halfling dragonborne outside of Eostia. It's likely there's some dragonborne on the Savannah but I'm no expert on that."

(I'd ask Miria and Ur'Akara about this later and yeah, they did have dragonborne on the Savannah. Most ended up as elders and led their tribes for years; at least until something happened. The Savannah isn't the safest place to live but one catalan dragonborne, Sur'Aranar, lived to about six centuries of life and died of old age.)

"That does make sense; my grandfather was a human." Edda pipped up as she sipped her own drink before humming. "Yes, that really does makes sense."

"What I wonder is why no other of the Giants of the Age also did likewise as the dragons and mate with mortals?" Finlay let off as Oveorth huffed.

"The Titans had no ability to use mana save to enhance their own strength." He began. "The Jinn were powerful in mana but couldn't direct it into themselves so they couldn't shift their size to something that would even allow for mating with mortals even if they deigned to try. As for the Demons they could do so, like ourselves, but thought of humans as something to be destroyed and removed; a pestilence to them. While they had the same problem as we did they didn't have a solution to mate; or at least if they could they considered it beneath them. They birthed no children; none of them."

"Maybe not." I mused as everyone looked to me. "Dagon made the Aberrant, didn't he? According to what sources we have they were made from his own blood. In a way he did have children... if only to spite humanity and the dragons." I said as Oveorth hummed in thought for a long moment.

"That does fit Dagon and his ways." He let off with a long sigh. "Damn bastard. He looked down upon humanity at the start. All the races really; he considered elves no better or worse. But the humans he hated the most. To create breeders with the purpose of conquering all the women of the human race... such a perversion of what we fought and died for..." He let off a huff before he looked to me. "But troubled as your people are from their presence you've never faltered. I could sense them on the mountain itself and rather pleased I didn't need to intervene myself. In truth we dragons do our best to remain out of your lives. Not just due to the old scars we bear but because humanity and those bearing our blood must stand upon their own. We are not opposed to being a guide but rather we would rather not be depended upon."

"Wait... Was it not said a young dragon was in the fight against Verlangen at Arndale?" Aeris pointed out as I blinked; yes that was what history said.

"Ah, yes..." Oveorth said with a sigh. "Tyrsog. No; he was not younger then the rest of us but he always acted like it. A younger brother of sorts more by personality then any other reason. However something to bare in mind is that Gottes Verlangen took blessings from Dagon. I could only imagine the state that he was in to see suicide by a human as something worth bartering for... But there was only one reason Tyrsog was allowed to join that battle and that was Dagon's influence on Verlangen. He was the last of the Demon King's curses on the land. Ending him was a duty for us. One Tyrsog, sadly, died to complete." He said as he slumped a bit in his seat. "The first death of ours since those darkest days. Yet a sacrifice that bore fruit... Tyrsog fought thinking Joanna and her band could build something better once the last of Dagon's blight was wiped away and while not every choice she and hers made was the right one most of them were..."

"Yeah... Eostia is imperfect; no nation is perfect... But it's a better one then most." I said as I sipped my drink as Oveorth chuckled.

"Indeed. I have visited various states of the land when I have taken a more human form." He boasted with a grin. "And while some states are... disappointing many more are pleasing... Classa for example!"

"Ghakk!" Edda let off as Riri turned her head in the middle of a spit take.

"I'd say Classa is a rather... acquired taste." I said with a soft chuckle of my own. He barked out in laughter before grinning at me before refilling the glasses around the table, leaning back and talking openly about his times in Classa... and Forestside.

It was... an interesting set of tales.

[-]

Much of what happened after Oveorth was finished... describing his vacations, shall we say, he spoke more of his people before the war between the Giants and much of history that was lost due to no one having the ability to write it down at the time; although let's be fair not all written history is true due to a combinations of lies, not having the full picture and bias. While Oveorth likely had his own biases as well he was the only first hand source I had met to an Age long gone. It was enlightening... and lasted until dinner. Riri cooked for us once more and the choice was made to remain until the morning; no sense climbing down in the dead of night. Thankfully the three guests rooms were enough for us all; Lulu and Finlay taking one, Aeris and Edda to another and myself and Riri to one more.

Come the morning there was breakfast and Oveorth took me aside for some more training in Dragon's Breath. Not to the extent of what Edda put me through but enough to be sure I could do it. In addition with his guidance I attempted a fire/darkness Dragon's Breath and the result was... fairly good, really. It took a handful of tries but the result was my eyes glowed a deep purple and I spat out dark, purple flames. Finlay shuddered at the sight however; she remarked that it looked like Olga Discordia's Annihilation Stream, although on a much smaller level.

Considering I didn't go easy on the mana and it was a forty foot long purple wave of destruction covering a thirty degree arc... how much more powerful is Queen Olga's attack?

(Finlay would later tell me; a hundred foot long wave at a fifty degree angle. Yikes! She was just arriving on the scene to see it when it happened. Everyone decided to retreat as they were there to rescue a force of men and those men were dust in the wind when they arrived. Literally. Supposedly she had in the past condensed the angle to make the flames reach further.)

Oveorth saw us out of the cave in the morning but as we went I saw something odd at the side of the cave's mouth; a large sack. The sack was nothing special; it was just a brown, plain burlap sack that was large enough to qualify as a large gym bag. "It is always good to see another dragonborne; more so of my lineage. That you must leave so soon is regretful but understandable. Should the chance arise please; come and visit me. I am always eager to see the children of our blood."

"And likewise; should you ever fly to Mungale stop in for a visit." I replied as we shook hands, smiling to each other. "That said..." I said as I moved to pull something out; a voxlux. "Here. I did tell you how it worked, right? I'll give one to Edda as well; it'll let you speak to us even over great distances; as long as it's within the range of the boosters." I said as I passed it to him.

"Ahhhh! Wonderful!" He let off, looking it over. "You did mention these, yes... I am full pleased to take advantage of it. But I too have a gift." He said as he pocketed the device before moving to the sack and opening it before lifting it and bringing it over. And inside of it was...

"Holy..." I let off as I blinked. Scales. Dragon scales. They were some two and a half inches long and an inch and a half wide. The shape was not unlike an arrow head with a curved, dull point and a sudden half way contraction near the back before widening slightly into a diamond shape.

"I have only shed these some months ago." Oveorth let off with a smile. "The hardness of the scales depends on the mana in them. Of course as they are shed we dragons pull the mana from them into ourselves on instinct so they are only partially restored as they draw new mana in and will not fully restore for a year. But even then I am told you humans can make good armor with it."

"Oh, yes we can..." I still recalled fighting Aeris' father Falos and how his dragon scale armor just invalidated my best hits. Sure; with higher levels, better weapons or better Combat Arts I might have punched through but it was a hell of an armor. Sure; these wouldn't be as good as that for a year but even then it would be a huge upgrade. "I just... need to find someone who can make it into armor."

"Not a problem!" Lulu let off, moving over and patting my elbow as I looked to her. "I know someone in Ironwall who can make it; however you want it! We need to go to Perrious anyway, so no reason not to stop in!"

Honestly, she wasn't wrong. We had to go south and to Perrious and Brell regardless so we'd pass through Ansur anyway. "If your sure ab-"

"I am, I am..." She let off as she waved it off. "I'll handle the costs. Consider it payment for those ideas you gave me!" She said as she giggled.

"...Thanks Lulu..." I couldn't help it; after I closed the sack I rubbed her head gently as she giggled. "Right. Let's get going."

"Please..." Oveorth began as he smiled and lifted his hand up. "Allow me to send you on your way." He said... as each of us started glow cyan for a moment before he snapped his fingers and...

The world flashed away and reappeared once more... and the cave was no where in sight. "Where-"

"We're near the carriages." Edda told us as she looked to us, speaking with a plain tone. "Oveorth is fond of making the journey back easier for his guests."

"W-w-w-wait..." Aeris let off as she gawked... as I was. "We were just teleported!?"

To put this into context Celestine was one of the most powerful mages alive and she couldn't teleport across a hall on a whim; not without a lot of preparation. Like a lot. Hell, I'm sure the people who can make a teleportation device can be counted on less then the fingers on both hands. That he could teleport us half way down a fucking mountain on a damned whim!? No prep, no strain, just finger snap!?

This is like knowing about Spider-Man and thinking him to be the pinnacle of physical strength... and then meeting Superman.

"Come on guys, let's get going." Edda let off as Riri, Finlay and Lulu followed first looking a bit surprised as myself and Aeris shared a look.

"That was..." I began.

"Yeah." She replied. "You think you know what the upper limits of power is and then..."

"You and me both." I said, sighing as I started to walk. "Come on... We can come to terms with it on the road..."

[-]

Camp Dragonfang
Within the Border of Scalefire Highpeak
Kingdom of Garan

"You're smiling." Rubin heard as she walked into the camp. Despite the name it was more of a fort without the defensive walls; being on the edge of the Dread Field and with the only roads moved deeper into Garan before moving towards the south making it near unassailable to anyone on the Eostian side. Stone buildings served as barracks, store rooms and other functions as she walked over. "What are you smiling about?"

The male dark elf wore simple knight's armor painted a deep black with a red cape falling to his ankles behind him, both trimmed with gold. A sword was at his left hip and a shield at his back. Silver hair was tied back behind his head, the tail of it falling just past his shoulders with two other bangs framing his face, gray eyes watching her over a hawkish nose as he stood at six foot three; a fine specimen. For a male anyway.

"Ahhh, some halflings, one of our cousin elves and a human were up in the mountain." She let off with a chuckle. "Killed all my troops. I'm kinda eager to fight them again."

"Y-you had three trolls with you." The man let off, blinking at her in a dumbfounded manner.

"Yup." She chirped out. "Shoulda seen it, Almaz! One of them was cleaved in half! Head to groin too! I didn't know you could do that to a troll!"

"...Why are you so happy about this!?" Almaz shouted out as her as she laughed back, hands on her hips.

"Because the only thing better then killing a human is killing a strong human!" She let off as she grinned. "Now then, if you'll excuse me I gotta go train for the rematch!" She let off as she strode into the camp with an exaggerated swagger as Almaz gawked at her. "You! Troll! We're sparring! Now!" She barked out before laughing.

Almaz Ironcrow pinched his nose as he slowly counted to ten in his head. "Drakepyres... Just... Drakepyres..." He sighed before turning to walk back into the camp.

Because as the second in command to Rubin Drakepyre he was, de facto, the commander of this detachment as they focused on training and scouting the enemy on the other side of the border. Because someone had to think of more then just fighting and killing things. That said he did wonder...

What sort of human could be strong enough to excite her?

[ - Author's Note - ]

Well then, we see who Edda's pal was. Some of you got who it would be go give yourself a pat on the back. And yes, I used Holara to make a new Dark Elf foe. And I liked her enough to keep her around. She looks awesome!

In addition Lulu has been given ideas, Cress and Miria have new, better weapons and James has a powerful new armor material... And said armor won't be ready for a bit. Because it's never that easy, eh?

Once more, don't forget about the poll! It can be found on Twitter eostian as well as at strawpoll(Dot Com)/polls/GeZAOO6oXnV so if you haven't already, please go and vote.

And of course this means next time it's time to go well south, back through Ansur and more of the Principality as we go off to another state to put up another booster... And who knows what else will come up along the way.

Until then!

~~Eostian Scribe